[Saba Sports News] According to British media reports, the European Championship qualifiers may switch to the same tiered competition system as the UEFA Nations League. A revised version of the Nations League format is the frontrunner among multiple proposals for reforming the men’s European Championship qualifiers. Major overhauls are planned for the qualifying campaign, which are expected to take effect after the 2028 European Championship. The relevant proposals were presented to the UEFA National Team Competitions Committee on Tuesday and will subsequently be reviewed by national football associations, who will hold group discussions in the coming days. The final decision will be made by the UEFA Executive Committee in Istanbul ahead of next month’s Europa League final. For quite some time, concerns have persisted that the current qualifying system for international fixtures lacks appeal for fans and broadcasters. With an expanded number of spots available at the final tournaments of both the European Championship and the World Cup, qualifying matches have become largely procedural for top-ranked national teams.
The editor believes that the proposal based on the UEFA Nations League model will meet the demand for more frequent clashes between top-tier teams. However, lower-ranked nations risk feeling marginalized, and this issue is likely to be brought up during discussions among football associations this week. The option of retaining the current qualifying format will also be on the agenda. Nevertheless, maintaining the status quo holds little appeal for sides such as England, who have suffered only one defeat in major tournament qualifiers since 2009 and regard the existing system as stale and uninnovative.